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TRP: Naomi and Roddy (Disowned)
Early day 273. The Novads were busy setting up in the town square. It was just past daybreak, and Naomi Novad, her adopted granddaughter Chana, and her brother Ezekiel were sitting together. Ezekiel called out prices for their wares while Chana presented things with a flourish. She was quite small for a full-blooded orc, but trying hard to help. Naomi sipped a cup of hot tea, wrapped in a blanket in the shade of the cart. She was not helping today. ABBY Hanging out with Hansel had been good, but once Roddy'd been alone, his thoughts kept going back to the Novads. And then he'd woken up really early, for some reason, and well, Hansel had wanted to keep them safe. Roddy could wander over, play guard for a bit. And if he just started chattering with someone, well. Yeah he was gonna, that's how he was. So here he was, shuffling around the edges where the orcish merchants were set up. Paying more attention to them than to anyone else, really. Okay so he was kinda a terrible guard, but he wasn't so oblivious to miss it if anyone got violent. These people would probably appreciate some business, so finally Roddy strode forwards, picking at the edge of the most brightly-colored blanket he could see. "Hey! How much for this?" he asked. COYOTE The older orc man-- the one who was Naomi's age-- glanced down at him and hopped down off his soap box. "Just one gold, sir. My grandmother made that quilt herself." The quilt did not look nearly old enough to have been made by the old orc's grandmother. The little girl tugged on Roddy's sleeve. "Pardon me," she said solemnly. "But are you a fuckin' turtle, sir?" "Chana," Naomi said. "Language." "What? That's what, um, the elf guy last night was saying a lot." ABBY Roddy grinned. "You know someone once told me to leave the swearing for the adults," he said, digging around for a gold piece. "Here ya go," he said, offering it to the older man. "And no, I'm not a turtle. I'm a tortle. Similar in a lot of ways but I'm bigger and I talk." COYOTE Chana snatched the gold before the old man could get it. She seemed completely unfazed by this. Naomi eyed Roddy, but said nothing, finishing her tea. She was pretty sure she'd seen this large tortle with the Runners-- that's what they seemed to be calling themselves, the Runners, the mercenaries who'd defended the city. A fancy elf in the local pub had been singing songs about how great they were. He'd been telling stories about how the son of Gruumsh fell in love with a mortal elf, then died defying his god. How the wicked General Immaneul had betrayed his evil lord and killed him, and then they'd assassinated General Immanuel in his camp. How a dying goddess in a cave blessed the new orc leader, Lady Gavriella, and appointed her the new queen of orcs. Naomi wasn't really sure about any of that nonsense, but she was pretty sure this tortle was with them. ABBY This little girl-- Chana?-- was adorable. S'too bad they couldn't really be family. Roddy busied himself with tucking his new blanket away in his sack so he wouldn't ruffle her hair or something instead. The other one, that hadn't spoken yet, was giving him a look. Maybe like she was expecting him to move on? But well, Roddy still kinda wanted to talk to these people. So he clasped his hands behind his back, rocking a little on the balls of his feet. "So-- you're Hansel's family?" he blurted. "Me too!" COYOTE Naomi looked up, startled. "Pardon me?" ABBY "I'm Hansel's kid," Roddy said again. "Well-- adopted but. I think it counts." COYOTE Naomi nodded slowly. "Sure. It counts." She rocked back and forth in her chair. "I'm sorry. I'm not related to Hansel, no." ABBY "Oh." Roddy wilted a little. "Well he was telling me. About... this caravan. And apparently he does have family here? Or. Kinda. Blood relations but maybe not family I think, was kinda how he put it." He hunched his shoulders, starting to feel kinda awkward. "Just kinda wanted to maybe, meet them. And all," he said, slowly getting quieter. COYOTE "Well. You've met them. That's us, yes." Naomi braced her arm on the chair. "You know how you can adopt someone? You can take someone who isn't related to you by blood, and take them in, and make them family?" This one seemed young, so she would explain it bluntly and softly. ABBY Oh well. This was why Hansel had warned him, wasn't it? "Yeah," he said, looking up to meet her eyes. COYOTE "You can also do the opposite of that," Naomi said. "You can take someone who is related to you and make them not family. Hansel is a... nishel. Disowned." ABBY "I know what nishel means," Roddy said quietly. Hansel'd been the one to teach him that. COYOTE "Well. Good." ABBY Roddy rubbed at his arm. He didn't get it. "I don't get it. I've-- I've got other family. Not... blood either but. They raised me. And... they weren't good family and yet. I don't think I-- can disown them. And... Hansel is your blood. And he's... he's someone I'm proud to claim. Pi'el. And... you're not. I don't... get it." COYOTE Naomi set down her cup and bundled up deeper into her blanket. "Child, you press onto a very painful spot. Like hitting an old bruise." She looked away. "I'm not proud to claim a mercenary and a pirate. My clan is peaceful, and good. My Yehuda died for him." ABBY Mercenary. Pirate. Peaceful. This... almost made sense. "I'm... sorry you lost your son," Roddy said quietly. "I don't-- know what that must be like." Roddy had, so far, managed to avoid losing anyone he was really close to. Well-- permanently anyway. Even just thinking about it made him sick. "I'll. I get it. I'll stop talking about it now." COYOTE "Thank you," Naomi said. She ducked her head. "Listen." She paused. "Could you tell Hansel..." ABBY Roddy shifted his weight, waiting for her to finish. Wondering if this would be a message he'd want to pass on. COYOTE "Tell him I'm sorry I upset him," Naomi said stiffly. She paused. That wasn't a very good apology. Not I'm sorry for what I said, just... I'm sorry it hurt him. "I meant it," Naomi said. "But I'm sorry it hurt him. I hope he... has a good life with his fiance." ABBY "He does," Roddy said quietly. "He's happy. We're happy. And... I think if you want him to know that, you should tell him yourself." COYOTE Naomi covered her face with her hand. She wanted to say, Then he won't know. She was not going to go back there and face him again-- and see those little hints of Yehuda, barely there, worse than having nothing at all. She got up, and she walked into the wagon and closed the flap behind her, then did not come out again. ABBY Roddy watched her go, the flap closing behind her with an air of finality. Yeah. She wasn't Roddy's family. Thing was, there were still two others, and while family was great, friends came a close second. "Well. Now that that's over with. You mind if I keep hanging out? I can help out too, if you like." COYOTE "Sure," Ezekiel said. "Better they stare at you than us." end Category:Text Roleplay